Anna Gülcher
Head of Earth and Planetary Geodynamics research group, Freiburg, Germany
About me:
I am a computational Earth and planetary scientist interested in planetary evolution and (in)habitability. My research focuses on (but is not restricted to) the interior, tectonic, and volcanic processes that shape rocky planets, particularly Venus and Earth. At the University of Freiburg, Germany, I lead the Earth and Planetary Geodynamics research group as a tenure-track professor. I am also involved in several space missions dedicated to Venus exploration, serving as an Interdisciplinary Scientist in the Science Working Team (SWT) of ESA’s EnVision mission and as a scientific collaborator on NASA’s VERITAS mission.
Beyond research, I have a strong interest in project and team management, science communication, teaching, and diversity. I have a track record in organisational leadership and professional outreach. I recently served as deputy director of the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University of Bern, Switzerland, and I am a member of NASA’s Venus Exploration and Analysis Group Steering Committee. Previously, I held several roles within the Geodynamics Division of the European Geosciences Union. I am committed to fostering a more open, diverse, and inclusive scientific community.
Contact details:
anna.guelcher@geodynamics.uni-freiburg.de
Earth and Planetary Geodynamics group, Institute of Geosciences, University of Freiburg
Albertstrasse 23-B (room 02.018), 79104 Freiburg, Germany
I have taken up Tenure-Track Professorship at the University of Freiburg, Germany, where I am building the new Earth and Planetary Geodynamics (EPG) research group. Keep an eye on my “opportunities” page for future updates. You can also consult the following working document, which outlines my expectations for prospective group members and what you can expect from me as a supervisor:
Find out more
Outreach articles/activities, science communication, and professional service roles
Academic / research experience
Tenure-Track Professor | Group lead (2026 – present)
Earth and Planetary Geodynamics (EPG) research group, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
Research fellow | Planetary Scientist (11.2024 – present)
Center for Space and Habitability (CSH), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Postdoctoral researcher | Planetary Scientist (01.2023 – 10.2024)
Planetary Interiors and Geophysics, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, USA
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
Postdoctoral researcher in Geophysics (11.2022 – 12.2022)
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics group, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
PhD researcher in Geophysics | Planetary Sciences (10.2018 – 10.2022)
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics group, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
PhD dissertation: Computational modeling of Earth’s interior evolution through chemical and rheological heterogeneity in the lower mantle
MSc. in Geophysics (09.2016 – 08.2018)
Institute of Geophysics, Dept. of Earth Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
MSc thesis: 3D computational modeling of the tectonic and magmatic processes that shape the so-called ‘corona’ structures on the surface of Venus.
BSc. in Earth Sciences (09.2013 – 07.2016)
Dept. of Earth Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
BSc thesis: Paleomagnetic fieldwork and laboratory experiments on lava rocks from Pico Island, The Azores, to deduce Earth’s ancient geomagnetic field.
Highlights
Awards and grants
NASA ROSED-DDAP grant
$500.000 Grant awarded by NASA under the ROSES NNH24ZDA001N-DDAP Discovery Data Analysis Program (co-investigator on grant, awarded April 2025).
European Space Agency selection
Selection as Interdisciplinary Scientists (IDS) of ESA’s EnVision mission to Venus (Mar 2025).
EUR 1.700.000 grant
Grant awarded through Gwrmany’s Volkswagen Foundation‘s ‘Understanding Earth as a System’ call for a tenure-track professorship in Earth and Planetary Geodynamics at the University of Freiburg, Germany (awarded Jul 2024).
CHF 300.000 Fellowship grant
Fellowship grant awarded by the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University of Bern, Switzerland in 2024 for the project entitled “Venus as a natural laboratory for Earth-like (exo)planets” (from Oct 2024)
CHF 140.000 Fellowship grant
Postdoc.Mobility grant awarded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) in 2022 for a two-year long research project at the California Institute of Technology and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (USA).
CHF 2000 Grant by ETH Zürich for ‘Fix the Leaky Pipeline’ peer-mentoring group
Grant awarded for the Planetary Equity group within ETH Zurich‘s career-building program for women in science (2021-2022).
European Geoscience Union award
Award for an outstanding presentation as a PhD researcher during the EGU General Assembly 2019 in Vienna, Austria.
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology award
Awarded for the best M.Sc. thesis research of the whole Department of Earth Sciences in 2018, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
CHF 36.000 Scholarship by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Full scholarship for two-year MSc degree in Geophysics at ETH Zürich, Switzerland (2016-2018).
EUR 10.000 Research grant by Foundation “Stichting Molengraaff Fonds” (TU Delft)
Research fund awarded for my BSc thesis research project and related paleomagnetic field work on the Azores, Portugal.
